Let Me Help
by ri-fan
Summary: Maura tries to help Jane feel better by giving her a massage.  Angst and fluff ensues.  One-shot.  First-time fic writer.  Feedback welcome!


Let Me Help

**Maura tries to help Jane feel better by giving her a massage. Angst and fluff ensures (my favorites). Jane/Maura pairing (seriously, why pair any other way?). Don't own them (clearly), just take them out of the box to play with and then put them back so they can give us more new episodes! This is my first fic, like ever, but it was bouncing around in my head and I had to get it out. Enjoy! Reviews welcome. **

Jane groaned at her desk. Friday afternoon and she was beat. It had been a tough week with a triple homicide in South Boston. The homicide division had their hands full and it was only that morning that the perp they collared finally confessed.

With the paperwork mostly processed, but two hours of her shift left to go, Jane could feel the week catching up with her. Her shoulders were tight and unforgiving, her legs ached from the multiple sprints she had done that week when she ran down suspects that tried to out run her (they didn't). And to boot, she had barely seen Maura outside of work because they were so busy, and when she did see her, it was all about work. No time for play.

Jane stretched her neck, and decided she needed a break.

"I'm going down for a coffee. Anyone want anything?" she asked Korsak and Frost, both engrossed in their own paperwork. After hearing the 'no thanks' echoed twice, she headed down. On her way to the elevator banks she saw Maura walking toward her. Immediately her grossed look softened as she saw her best friend.

"Hey, I was just heading down for a coffee. You wanna come?" Jane asked.

"That would be great. I was coming up to see if we were still on for tonight," Maura replied easily, a slow smile spreading across her face.

"Take out and movies at your place, right? I'm there. After this week, I could really use a nice, peaceful night."

Maura tilted her head slightly and took in Jane's appearance. Rumpled clothes indicating she had gotten into work early to examine the case, slightly disheveled hair though know one but Maura would notice, bags under her eyes and waves of tension and tight muscles rolling through her body. Yes, Jane could certainly use a night in.

Though Maura loved Jane's company, certainly more than anyone else's, she worried about her friend.

"Are you sure you're up to it? You look so tired."

Jane smiled, and gave the ME one of her famous Rizzoli smirks and said she'd be fine. "Let's go get some coffee." As Jane walked ahead, Maura watched her walk and noticed a slight limp in her step. She knew that Jane didn't like people to make a fuss over her. She also knew that Jane had taken a few hard runs that week to catch some perps, on top of her usual 3 -5 mile runs she did a couple times a week. Maura filed away the hitch in her step for later that night when she might be able to help.

Jane showed up at Maura's house later that night having showered and changed into jeans and a Boston Red Sox t-shirt. She still looked very tired to the ME, but she was happy that her friend felt up to spending the evening with her and hanging out.

"What smells so good? Did you already order? What'd you get?" Jane was trying to peak around Maura after she answered the door to see what was in the kitchen. Maura smiled to herself and she closed and locked the door again. Sometimes Jane was just like a little kid, always wanting to see what was next and being very impatient about it.

"I ordered from that Thai place that we liked so much a couple weeks ago. I got a few different dishes, but I think you'll like them. And from the look in your eye, I think you're ready to eat now," she finished.

"You have no idea," Jane replied in her deep, throaty voice, already grabbing a plate and surveying the food landscape. "Great choices." Maura was pleased that Jane liked the selection, and grabbed her own plate to start the feast.

"So what movie are we watching tonight?" asked Maura. Their typical arrangement was that Maura would supply the dinner and Jane would pick the movie one week and then switch the next week. They were switching apartments, but Jane usually liked to stay at Maura's because there was more space and it was closer to the station in case either of them had to get there quickly. Though Jane would never admit it, she liked Maura's place better simply because it seemed to be an embodiment of Maura. The colors, the style, the comfortable furniture all tied together in a very sophisticated way, made Jane love simply moving around the townhouse. It just felt like Maura to her, and she couldn't get enough of her friend.

Through all of Maura's quirks and awkwardness, Jane thought she was adorable and cute, even sweet. And lately Jane found her thoughts and her eyes drifting to places that she did not think a mere friend should be thinking. And the lack of sleep that week certainly wasn't helping her keep her "friend" mask in place. Her eyes lingered on Maura's wrist as they scooped various vegetables, noodles, and rice out of the variety of take out containers on the counter. She watched her fingers deftly open a container of fried rice with grace and ease.

"Jane. Jane!" Maura had tried three times to get Jane's attention, but her friend seemed to be spacing out, staring vacantly at Maura's hands. "Is something the matter?" Finally, after still not getting through, Maura stepped near her and gently shook her forearm. Jane started, shook out of her reverie. Maura's tone softened, "hey, is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to zone out like that. What were you saying?" Jane looked down a little sheepishly, and decided to focus on the safety of her plate.

"I asked what we were watching tonight." Maura's hand remained on Jane's arm, her proximity close and between the lack of sleep, her aching muscles, and her – what she now realized – growing attraction to the ME, it was taking all of her power to follow the conversation.

"Um…I brought The Craft," she stated ungracefully, trying to get her mind to focus on the discussion at hand. "Yeah, I thought it would be fun since we just had that witch case a few weeks back and since we both kinda had an interest in it. Well, you clearly did and I find that stuff interesting. What do you think?"

Maura had never heard of the movie, but was game. "Sounds good. Is it scary?"

"Um, I'm not sure how to describe it. It's kind of a weird little movie. It came out in the nineties and I haven't seen it since then, but it's got some good actors in it. Thought it could be fun."

"Okay. I'll put it in," Maura offered as they made their way to the couch and coffee table with the plates heaped with Thai food.

As the movie rolled on, Jane and Maura finished their meals, seated near each other on the couch. Jane finished her food and pushed her plate away on the coffee table. Maura watched as she unconsciously began to rub her hands. Maura just finished her last bite of rice and broccoli and quickly removed the plates back to the kitchen. When she returned, she sat closer to Jane and took her right hand in the two of hers. "Let me help." Jane turned her head, her eyes already half-lidded, fighting to stay awake through the movie. "You don't have to. You must be tired like me. It will go away, they just tend to act up when I've had a rough week."

Maura smiled quietly, her fingers already starting to work on the scars from Hoyt's monstrous attack from a couple years ago. "I don't mind," she replied, her voice soft and encouraging. Jane could feel her resolve lessening as she gave over to the ministrations of the expert medical examiner. "All right." Jane shifted her body so that she was seated cross legged in front of Maura on the couch, in the corner. She was very comfortable since she was supported by both the back and sidearm of the couch. This position also allowed her to relax her left hand in a way that Maura could easily pick it up when she was done massaging the right.

The movie played on, both Jane and Maura watching it, though Maura more so since Jane had seen it and also seemed to be more comfortable just relaxing into Maura's touch. The week was definitely catching up to her. After about fifteen minutes, Maura switched to the right hand, breaking down the build up of scar tissue and trying desperately to minimize some of Jane's pain.

Maura loved it when Jane would let her touch her hands. Thankfully, Jane was a very affectionate person, which suited Maura fine because she wouldn't know what to do without her. Jane was so adept and reading people, their body language, their tone of voice, and knowing what to do in social situations. Maura envied that about her best friend, and she also knew that she'd be lost without her, without her guidance around other people, or the protectiveness she shielded over the petite doctor, threatening to call out anyone who made fun of the ME and her somewhat quirky ways.

Maura thrilled when Jane touched her. Little touches that were completely within the "okay" realm of friends, a pat on the arm, a gentle brush of her shoulder, tugging her hand to get her out of her office for lunch faster. All of this Maura thought about quietly as she manipulated Jane's hand while keeping her eyes focused on the movie.

She felt a particular knot built up in Jane's right hand, and looked down to get a better idea of what she was feeling. She marveled at Jane's long, elegant fingers with her toned olive skin. Her thoughts drifted to what those hands had been through, but quickly saw the dark path that those thoughts would go to. She shifted slightly and thought about all that those hands had done, or could do. How they pulled little girls out of closets from kidnappers and brought them home to their parents. How they handcuffed criminals and grappled with suspects to pin them to the ground until backup could come. And how they wiped tears away and gently caressed those that needed it.

She was struck by how thinking of Jane's hands in the abstract had also made her think that Jane had done many of those things for Maura or on Maura's behalf when she thought that the ME was in trouble or danger. She knew how giving Jane was, and Maura felt an overwhelming sense of care that Jane did some much of that for strangers, but also a lot of that for her. _Such giving hands_, she thought. She looked at the long fingers and how warm Jane's skin was, and thought about what it must be like to have Jane's hands on her body. How those long fingers might come into play in other areas.

Maura swallowed. She knew that those types of thoughts probably weren't what Jane needed, or wanted, and she valiantly decided to pull back from tripping further down that happy, though improbable, road of imagination.

Jane felt a slight shift in her friend's manipulations of her digits and glanced over to her. "Hey, you okay?" Jane asked casually, closing her hand over the thumbs the ME had in her palm that had been working over her scar. Jane brought her second hand up to grasp both of the ME's hands in her own.

Maura startled slightly, but tried to regain her composure. "Hmm? I'm fine. Do they feel any better?"

Jane paused, taking in the wide eyes of her friend, still not completely convinced that everything was okay, but decided to let it go. "They feel so much better Maur. Thank you.," Jane said, and Maura could hear the heartfelt words make her chest lift in a wonderful way. She smiled. "Good. Your scar tissue had built up quite a bit from last time. I should try to massage them more often so that they won't hurt so bad."

Jane quirked an eyebrow. "I think you're a miracle worker Doc. And I think it might be taking unfair advantage of our friendship to ask you to do that type of thing more frequently." Jane's face was near Maura's, and her voice was low but playful. Maura tried to hide the disappointment on her face, quickly glancing down at their hands, but failed. Jane caught the look and gently guided Maura's chin up with one of her hands so she could see her eyes. "But if you want to, I'm more than happy to let you." Maura smiled, happy that her friend had given her permission to make her feel better. This gave Maura a bit more confidence to try to push things a bit further.

With concern written over her facial features, Maura started. "I think you had a really hard week. I think you have a lot of muscle tension built up in your back and shoulders, and I think I could help, if you'll late me. Some of the discomfort your feeling –" she paused, as Jane looked at her, about to protest the idea that she was in discomfort, "the neck aches, the back stretches, the cracking that I heard earlier tonight, I can work some of that out."

Jane was dumbfounded. Had her beautiful best friend just offered to give her a back massage? Hands were one thing, or so Jane told herself, even though she never let anyone besides Maura touch them. But her back? Did friends do that? Did she even care? She looked at Maura, and Maura returned her gaze, innocent, waiting for her answer. Jane was certain that if she said no, Maura would think of it as rejection and think that she did something wrong. But could she stand it? It had already been hard enough with Maura massaging her hands for the last forty minutes for her to keep her mind from thinking about all the ways Maura could expertly be using those hands on different parts of her anatomy. She had managed, only somewhat successfully, to still most of those images, but now this was a different level.

"I don't know Maura. You've already done so much for me already tonight by working on my hands, and I know you had just as hard a week as me. Aren't you tired?" Jane replied slowly, making sure to keep her voice even as she didn't want to spook her sweet, well-meaning friend. Jane tucked a stray hair behind Maura's ear, and rested her hand on Maura's knee, keeping the physical connection that seemed so critical for her right now.

Maura hesitated. Was Jane trying to be nice but didn't want her touching her anymore? No, that didn't seem to be the case since she was still touching her hands and her knee. Maybe she should take Jane for her word and maybe she was just worried that Maura was flagging. Except that Maura was anything but flagging. She seemed to have a sudden boundless supply of energy, and she suspected that it had something to do with the fact that getting to touch Jane for the last three-fourths of an hour was keying up parts of her libido that most "friends" wouldn't be feelings. She wasn't certain the offering to touch her longer was a good idea, that it might (and probably would) just arouse her further, but she wasn't sure what else she could do with the excess of energy. She desperately wanted to keep Jane as her friend, and she didn't want to risk losing that. She convinced herself that she wouldn't take it any further and she could manage to be the good friend, and masseuse, that Jane needed at the moment.

"I don't mind. Really. And I think you'd feel better." Maura looked at her, expectantly, hopefully.

Jane stared back, feeling her resolve leave her completely whenever Maura asked her to do anything. "Okay," she said simply.

Maura unfolded herself, tugging on Jane's arm. "I think you'd feel more comfortable in the bedroom if you could lay down." Jane swallowed, following Maura into the guest bedroom. _Shit! What have I just gotten myself into? _Jane thought as she walked behind the ME.

Maura turned the dimmer down on the bedroom light so that they could still see but that the fluorescents weren't as harsh. "Lie down on your stomach."

Jane nodded mutely, worried desperately that she was in over her head. _Can I get out of this? How? _But she knew it was too late, and even as one part of her worried, another part of her thrilled at the idea of Maura's hands on her back.

Jane laid down on the bed and folded her arms under her head. Maura looked down at the dark haired woman strewn diagonally across the bed and her long, lengthy figure waiting for Maura's next move. She took a deep breath and willed herself to ask the question that she knew would be the hardest for her, but also knew that the massage would be more enjoyable if she asked.

"You might like it better if you took off your shirt. Skin on skin contact has great healing and comfort capabilities…."

Jane could hear Maura continue to spiel about the benefits of massage and oils and the history of the practice, but all Jane heard was 'take off your shirt.' _Take of my shirt? How am I going to do this? Seriously, how am I going to manage to keep my hands to myself and not turn over and attack her? God, does she even know what she does to me? This is so unfair. But I want to keep her friendship. I don't want to ruin it. And she's just trying to be a good friend, right? She saw that I was aching and she just wants to help, because that's just the way she is. And she's right, a massage with clothes on is just not as effective. Stop being a baby Rizzoli! She's not going to bite you – oh man, I wonder if.. – no, stop that, back on track. Maura is innocent and you can be a grown-up and not a teenage horndog and you can keep your hands to yourself. _

"Um, sure, okay, I can do that." Jane, still facing down on the bed, grabbed the back of her shirt at the neck and pulled it up over her head, bunching the material on her chest. _Don't be a chicken shit, ditch the shirt Rizzoli._ Breathing deeply in again, she pulled her arms out of the shirt and threw it to a corner of the room. She sighed and gave herself props for being so brave about this. _Yeah, brave. I can fight the worst criminals in Boston but taking my shirt off when my friend asks so that she can work on the kinks in my shoulders, that's what I give myself props for. I'm sure that makes sense somewhere in the universe. _

Maura stood at the foot of the bed, stunned. Had that really just worked? She really didn't think it would. She was certain that Jane would say she was fine with her shirt on, or back out of the massage all together and claim she was tired or that it was too much trouble for Maura or something equally excusable, but would have been nonetheless disappointing to Maura.

Realizing that Jane probably felt very exposed, and also realizing that she was standing there too long, Maura made up her mind to move. _Now or never_ she thought. Jane felt the bed shift as Maura climbed up, and then she felt the weight of Maura on her as she settled over Jane's rear. The thought of Maura straddling her made Jane's head swim and she tamped down on the strong urge to moan by biting her lip.

"Is this okay, Jane?" Maura asked softly, wanting to make sure she wasn't causing her friend any discomfort. Maura lightly placed her hands along the flanks of Jane's side so that she was balanced, physically connected, but could move off of her if the detective told her that she was uncomfortable.

Jane felt her breathing become more shallow and she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the biomechanics of her body to stop betraying her. She breathed in deeply to relax and steady her voice for her reply. "You're fine." _Geez Rizzoli, double entendre much, _she scolded herself.

Maura smiled, glad to know that she could stay where she was and not hurt Jane. It was one of the better ways to give someone a massage because it allowed an equal distribution of weight and access to the back. Only a massage table would have been better, but Maura didn't have one of those. And a table would not have allowed her the ability to sit on Jane, which was incredibly fun and, if Maura allowed one stray thought about her friend, very sexy. _One stray thought. Yeah right, I think that's number 47 of the evening. They seem to be coming more frequently and certainly are more intense. I hope I just didn't get myself into more trouble with this._

She knew she had gotten herself in deeper, but she didn't really care. _As long as I can pull back and we can still tread into the friend zone. Friends give friends massages, right? _ She didn't know. She hadn't ever had a best friend, and she didn't want to mess it up, but that was why she relied on Jane. Jane would tell her when something wasn't right, or that wasn't what friends do. She trusted Jane. Jane wouldn't lead her astray.

Maura's hands began to move up Jane's back with moderate pressure and Jane couldn't help the moan that broke her silent thoughts. Maura grinned and chuckled lightly. Jane smiled, glad that her groan hadn't made the doctor feel awkward, but she also wanted to make sure the doc was still okay with this.

"Maura, you know you don't have to do this, right? I mean, clearly I think I'll love it, but.." Maura cut her off. "Shhhh…just relax." Jane sighed as she listened to Maura's instructions, and mumbled okay into her pillow.

Maura's hands slowly climbed their way up Jane's back, only to come across another stumbling block. Jane was wearing a beautiful black Calvin Klein bra. Thankful that it wasn't one of the many sports bras she typically wore, Maura contemplated asking Jane for permission to remove it, as it would break the strides of her stroke. She could feel that Jane had taken her advice and her muscles began to unclench. Not wanting to bring Jane out of her increased state of relaxation, she subtly unhooked the bra and slid the straps to the side.

Jane felt a slight shit and realized that Maura had unclipped her bra, feeling the strap around her ribcage loosen. _In for a penny, in for a pound,_ Jane thought to herself and decided to let it go.

Maura had hesitated for half a second, to see if Jane would protest. After hearing none, coupled with only a slight change in Jane's breathing, Maura decided it was safe to continue. She reached up to Jane's neck and began working over the thick neck muscles that cause almost all office workers some discomfort. Jane grunted slightly when the ME hit a particularly sensitive area, and Maura changed tactics, lightening the pressure but working the area around the sensitive spot to break up the knot. Once she was satisfied that she'd released a lot of the pressure Jane was keeping in those muscles, she began to work her way down the back to the shoulders and upper arms, and then to the mid and lower back. All the while, Jane's breathing remained steady and calm.

Jane couldn't believe how good Maura was at this! Geez, if she hadn't been independently wealthy and the best medical examiner Jane had ever met, she would certainly have a calling in this arena. She took pleasure in the fact that she doubted many people knew how amazing Maura was at this, and then her thoughts drifted to thinking about how many people _did_ know this about the ME. Jane's jealousy flared up inside of her, as did her curiosity. She decided to tuck the question away for another time and enjoy her massage. _Live in the moment, Rizzoli. Come on,_ she thought to herself.

Maura had reached the waistband of Jane's jeans and knew that she couldn't really go any further. _Well, not that would be as good as what I was able to do for her back since there weren't any clothes. _She swallowed as she thought about the fact that Jane was literally half dressed, or half-undressed, on her bed. She glanced at the lose bra straps at Jane's side, and though seriously about leaving them off, but decided that, for the sake of Jane's modesty and to stay somewhat on the friends side of the line – _razor thin by this point, _Maura thought – she reclasped Jane's bra.

She gently removed herself from her straddled position on Jane but kept her right hand flat on Jane's lower back and moved to lay next to Jane on the left.

Jane opened her heavily dilated eyes to see the beautiful caramel haired doctor staring back at her.

"That was amazing Maura. Thank you." The ME smiled. Her friend looked so relaxed and much more well-rested than she had earlier that day, and even that night.

Jane couldn't resist poking around, and the question she had earlier continued to rattle around in her head. "So," she started playfully, "how many people know what a good massage you give?"

Maura looked up, contemplating the question. "Not many…I practiced on some of my classmates in medical school when we had to learn different techniques for class, and I received some compliments then. But since then, I haven't really given any because my profession doesn't require me to ease joints or muscles the way some other medical professionals need to. " She paused. "I've never had anyone who I wanted to give a massage to, so I guess you're the first, outside of med school." Jane smiled.

"I like being your first." Jane groaned internally. _Really? Did I really just say that? Ugh, why am I like a nervous, nerdy high schooler around her? _ Maura, thankfully seemed oblivious and just giggled at the joke. _I love the way she laughs_, thought Jane.

Maura remembered Jane's gait earlier that day and thought about the limp she know she saw with Jane's movements, despite Jane's best attempts to hide them. As she thought, Maura's right moved from Jane's lower back to her left flank, gently drawing patterns on her skin with her thumb. The detective was trying her level best to keep the mood light and playful, but was struggling with the battle.

The ME's eyes turned serious, and she decided to try to see if she could help her friend further. _Sure, help Jane, that's all I'm trying to do. If I get to see more of her…er, touch more of her…hmm, this could be dangerous. But it could help, and maybe she's in pain._

"Jane, are your legs sore?" The detective saw the serious turn that Maura's eyes took, and knew something more was coming before Maura even asked the question, but Jane was dumbstruck that that was the question Maura wanted to ask.

"Uhhhh…, I don't know. Um, why do you ask?" Jane looked down, breaking eye contact with the ME. She suddenly felt very warm and very nervous and her heart fluttered and butterflies danced around in her stomach.

"You were limping earlier today, and I know you took a couple running tackles this week to catch people. I can help." At this point, Maura's fingertips began to lightly tug on the waistband of Jane's jeans, quietly asking for her to disrobe.

"You want to massage my legs?" Jane asked weakly, disbelievingly. _Are you kidding me? Oh my gosh, Maura's hands up and down my legs. I'll never come down from that. There's no way I'll be able to hold my self back from her if I let this happen. Quick Rizzoli, figure out a way to get out of this. NOW! _

Maura nodded, still tugging at her jeans, but centimeter by slow, painstaking centimeter, she was coming closer to the button on Jane's jeans. Jane was still on her stomach, so she wouldn't be able to get much further without her friend acquiescing to the request and shifting onto her side or just stripping off her jeans herself.

Jane decided to go back to the playful banter she had been trying to work earlier.

"Geez Maura, no one would stand a chance against you seducing them." Once the words left Jane's mouth, Maura froze. She had gone to far. She would lose Jane. It would all be over. _But there hadn't been any warning signs. No, I don't want this to end! And, honestly Jane Rizzoli, I don't think that I'm that good, because you are performing admirably to withstand my advances. _

The detective felt Maura's hand still and the frozen, panicked look in Maura's eyes, and decided to tease her a little bit, more.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Dr. Isles?" Jane grinned cheekily, brushing the hair away from Maura's face so she could see her more clearly. She tucked a few strands behind her friend's ear, enjoying the way Maura's eyes reflected the muted light.

She heard Jane's teasing tone, and realized that this wasn't the end, and that Jane had saved her yet again. But two could play at that game. Since Maura couldn't lie, and she did think that part of what she was doing to Jane was seduction, she couldn't honestly answer no. So, in times when you can't lie, Maura relied on the truth.

"Well, you are already half-naked, in my bed, on a Friday night. Though that wouldn't be counted as a complete victory, I don't think it counts as failure either." Maura's voice was deep and flirty. Jane swallowed, unable to believe that her gorgeous, beautiful, _straight _best friend had said that to her. _She's straight! She's straight! Come on! I swear she's flirting with me. Okay, I can do flirting. You want it, you got it. _

"So you think I'm easy, huh?"

"You're anything but easy," Maura blurted out before she could stop herself.

"I don't know about that. I am half naked in your bed on a Friday night." Jane's tone was dark and smoky and it sent a shiver down Maura's spine.

"But you're only half-naked," replied the ME, her confidence growing with the shift in mood, her fingers again tugging at Jane's denim.

Jane placed her hand over doctor's, preventing it from creeping closer to its goal, but she shifted her weight slightly, so that she was leaning more on her right side and less on her stomach. Jane looked in Maura's eyes, using all her years being a detective to try and gain more inside information.

"Do you really think that you massaging my legs will help them? Do you want to do that?" She asked seriously, tracing circles with her thumb over the back of Maura's hand. The ME nodded. Jane continued, grinning ,"or do you just want to get me completely naked on your bed on Friday night to brag to all of your buddies on Monday morning?"

Twhmmp. Maura hit Jane in the head with a pillow. "You're teasing me. I'm trying to help and you're teasing me." Maura couldn't help herself from laughing. Jane could always make her laugh, even if maybe she was trying to seduce her.

"Oh no you don't!" Jane jumped up and grabbed another pillow, and thumped Maura on the head.

"Ouch!" Maura raised up onto her knees on the bed to try and defend herself against Jane. However, Jane had the advantage. Having jumped off the bed, she had full balance on solid ground and years of training on how to take people down, and actual practice of this skill in her day job. As Maura wielded a pillow in her right hand, Jane watched her and began to assess how she could easily disarm the doctor and gain the upper hand. _I could literally gain the upper hand if I can get this right_, Jane thought to herself, devising a plan.

"You know I'm going to win Maura. You should give up now," she teased, shifting her weight from one foot to another, keeping Maura guessing when and in what direction Jane would attack.

"Where's the fun in that?" Maura countered.

"Okay, doc, you asked for it."

Before Maura knew what happened, she found herself pinned on the bed with Jane on top of her. Her right hand was still gripping the pillow but Jane had her vice grip around her wrist, but was being careful not to put too much weight on it so that it wouldn't be uncomfortable. Her other wrist was in Jane's other hand and Jane was straddling the ME, with her legs pinning down Maura's thighs.

Both were breathing heavily and staring at each other intensely.

_Didn't I have dreams that ended like this? _She thought. Jane was struggling with what to do next. All she wanted to do was lean down and kiss her best friend. The flirting, the touching, the multiple massages, and the fact that she could as easily laugh and tease her friend were all adding up to be a lot to fight. Jane glanced down and saw Maura's lips parted and she could hear Maura's breathing and watched her chest rise and fall, trying to catch up from the latest adventure. Since she had her fully pinned, she knew that, in this position, Maura wouldn't actually be able to get away from her if she didn't want Jane to kiss her. Though Jane liked the position because it was a very powerful one, she didn't want her friend to feel trapped or scared.

Jane lightened her grip on Maura's wrists and gave her the famous Rizzoli smirk. "You've had me pinned all night. I thought it was time to change places. " She grinned, the smile reaching her eyes. "I told you I'd win."

Maura was trying desperately to catch her breath. It felt like Jane was everywhere. She could feel her wrists in Jane's hands and could tell that she was completely immobile. The pleasant pressure of Jane's weight on her thighs held down her lower body, and her dark hair was cascading down around her face, forming another barrier to the outside world. Maura's pupils were dilated to the point of being nearly black, and she could smell Jane's shampoo. All of Maura's senses were exposed and taking in her completely changed environment. Reflecting on what Jane said, Maura decided to play with fire.

"Unless this is where I wanted to be."

Jane's grin faltered. She continued to ease the pressure on Maura's wrists so that she knew that Maura could get out if she wanted to. "Is it?" Jane replied, seriously, seeking out Maura's permission.

The answer came only slightly above a breath – yes.

Jane moved her hands to the side of Maura's wrists and slowly began to lower herself near her best friend. Maura, having played this game all night, couldn't take it any more. She brought her hands up to Jane's neck and swiftly guided Jane to her lips.

At the contact, both women groaned from the initial connection, hands seeking out to feel, touch, explore. Maura couldn't believe this was really happening. _Finally, finally. _Maura focused back on the kiss, her fingers tangled in Jane's hair, pulling her down to be on top of her, their legs weaving together. _Oh my gosh, she's good at this!_ Maura felt her pulse rising as Jane continued to kiss her, thoroughly exploring and dueling with Maura's tongue.

Jane had shifted her weight so that she was more on her side so that she wouldn't crush the smaller woman, and Jane's protectiveness wanted to make sure that Maura didn't feel trapped or vulnerable. Though from the movements Maura was making, Jane didn't think that was a problem. Maura's hands continued to roam over he exposed back, neck, arms, and then back up to her hair. _Her hands are everywhere! Oh my gosh, she tastes so good. I can't seem to get close enough to her. _ Jane realized part of the frustration was that she had not shirt on but Maura was still clad in her tshirt and slacks. _We're going to have to change that._

Jane began to tug at the hem of Maura's shirt and broke off the kiss, seeking out her eyes. Maura opened her eyes, wondering why Jane had suddenly pulled back, the question apparent in her look.

"Umm.." Jane inarticulately tried to ask, before tugging stronger at Maura's shirt. Maura grinned and decided to help her out, quickly pulling the shirt over her head and tossing it into the corner with Jane's. Maura turned back.

"Better?" she breathed, but Jane was lost looking directly at Maura's chest. "Umm-hmm." Maura took in the look that Jane was giving her, and suddenly felt very exposed, but managed to still her reaction to cover up with her arms. Finally Maura couldn't stand that they weren't touching anymore and moved closer to Jane, laying a hand on her arm. This brought Jane back from her marathon staring session and she sheepishly looked into the ME's eyes.

"You're beautiful." Maura smiled.

"Thank you. You are too." Jane grinned, and leaned up to capture her lips again. This time the kiss was slow, not frantic with the overwhelming sensation and urgency of the first kiss. Jane's hand rested on Maura's side while her other was tangled in her beautiful light brown locks. She finally broke off the kiss, and looked at the doctor.

"This was not how I thought my Friday night would end up," Jane grinned. Maura smiled.

"I hope that's okay," Maura replied.

"Oh yes, definitely OK," Jane chuckled, bringing her friend in closer. "I think I'm not the only one who wanted to do that for awhile."

Maura laughed lightly. "No, not the only one."

"Good, because if I had been the only one, things would have been very awkward." Jane joked, gaining a swat from the other woman.

"So…are you going to let me massage your legs now?" Maura leered at Jane, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Jane returned the kiss, lost in the moment. Then she realized that Maura had asked her a question, and broke off the kiss. She gently held Maura's upper arm, holding her back so she could look into her eyes.

"Maura I think you're amazing. But I'm not into one night stands or taking things too quickly." Maura's disappointment was palpable and she sniffed slightly. _Oh my gosh, please don't cry. If she cries, I'm completely helpless. Stay focused Rizzoli. This will be good for both of you, just push ahead. _"Hey, hey, don't cry. Come here." She pulled her friend toward her and Maura settled in against Jane's chest. Having Jane's arms wrapped around her made her feel better. Jane continued.

"I think if you got me out of my pants, we would take things very quickly, and as much as I really, REALLY, want to do that now, I also want us to build a relationship together, and I think becoming so intimate so early would be rushing it. And this is really hard for me to say, because I've dreamed of being with you for months now, but I think we should wait."

Maura pulled away.

"Wait,…like not tonight but maybe sometime in the not-so-distant future?" Maura asked, wiping an errant tear away.

Jane smiled quickly while pulling her back to be close to her. "Yes, that's what I mean, but only if that's what you want, too. So what do you say? Do you want to try this…um…thing we just started tonight?"

Maura's grin was infectious as she agreed that she wanted to try it. She thought for a moment and then replied, thinking of Jane's earlier joke about Monday morning gossip, "so, can I still brag to my 'buddies' on Monday morning that I slept with a hottie this weekend?"

Jane stared at her slack-jawed. _Did Maura Isles just make a joke?_

"Oh my god! You are going to be the death of me, I can tell it already. You can't tell them that unless we actually sleep, so get over here and settle down."

Maura returned to her perfectly designed spot on Jane's chest and Jane enveloped her in her arms.

"You know I wouldn't tell anyone until we were ready, right?" Maura asked as she began to nod off, afraid that Jane might take her joke literally.

"I know. Don't worry. I trust you." Jane was gently stroking Maura's hair, and felt her eyelids getting heavy. Maura relaxed into Jane's touch and kissed her chastely on her collarbone.

"Good night Jane."

"Good night Maura."


End file.
